Ouya on track for release

With the news that the Ouya developer consoles will ship starting on December 28th as originally projected by the company, we are hearing a number of whispers from sources who tell us that both developers and retailers are watching things closely. Much of the reason is that consumer interest is high in Ouya, with both developers and retailers getting asked about the Android powered and Kickstarter-funded console project.

“We are looking at the console very closely and with the news that the development kit is going to be available for free download, I suspect that our teams will be examining it and seeing what titles and experiences we have that would translate to the Ouya well and be able to deliver a return on a potential investment. I am not saying that we are yet committed to development for the Ouya, but it would seem that we heading in the direction of getting serious about a release for the console,” one team manager at a top AAA software developer told us.

“The thing that has really surprised us is how our customers have been coming in to our stores and talking to us about the Ouya and asking a lot of questions. No one could have anticipated the amount of buzz that the Ouya has received, and to that end we would be foolish to not be thinking about the potential of the Ouya and how selling it at retail might work for us. Because of the software delivery system that it will be using, it is a very different model from anything we have looked at. Still, while we are curious, we will be watching to see what happens next, and if the kind of experience that it delivers is something our customers want us to be selling,” one buyer for an electronic retailer told us.

While there is still time to latch on to your Ouya console by placing your order now, the moment of truth is growing ever closer; we are very curious to see if the traction that the Ouya has gained from all of this buzz will supply enough traction for interest to continue that can make this a viable platform for developers. Like every console, we will tell you that it is all about the software and the experience it can deliver and after developers have cracked the Ouya open and started to get a better idea of what it can do, only then we will see the announcements for the first wave of software. Once these arrive, we should have a much better idea of where the Ouya is headed.